Welcome to adobo-down-under!

Musings. Family. Food. Stories. Cooking. Recipes. Eating. A recipe journal. From simple Filipino dishes to challenging recipes and exciting gastronomical failures. This is for my girls to look back on for comfort, memories, laughs, love and lots of food!

Monday, September 21, 2015

My muscles are recovering from
yesterday’s Bridge Run, which was approximately 10k from Milsons Point ending
at the Government House along Macquarie Street.Unlike last year’s experience, this year brought more sore muscles and
pain in my butt, thighs and legs. As I ran, jogged and walked the route in
light rain, I kept thinking of Murakami’s book which reminded me of his experience
in the many marathons that he runs around the world – how he prepares for each mentally
and physically.I constantly had to remind
myself to concentrate on the breathe and focus on the path ahead, one step at a
time.This kept me focus for the whole 1
hour and 32 minutes.The weather wasn’t
as glorious as it could have been, but the view always gets to me - passing under the magnificent Harbour Bridge, the spectacular harbour and the iconic Sydney Opera House. I can never get tired of these Sydney wonders!

Soaking in the light drizzle, my head was
soaked from a combination of rain and sweat.My work colleagues who joined me have dispersed into the distance as we approached
the bridge, and I could only whisper in between breathes, “hey, wait up!” ,
each of them already zooming around other runners as they satisfy their own
fitness goals.There were moments of
doubt when my thoughts turned to stopping and giving up and cheating by taking
off my bib and going through the Domain and ducking in with the crowds at the
finish line. The medal was not something aimed for anyway.But
there was that nagging thought inside me, pushing me to go take that extra
step, take that next kilometre in stride and it’s all going to be fine.

Running
alone amidst a crowd of thousands (does that sound weird?), it was so easy to get distracted by the
noise from the spectators, music from sponsor stalls along the route, the
cheers from the volunteers as they hand cup after cup to the runners. Breathing in
and out, slowly pacing myself, I see older men and women triumphantly passing
me with their slow calculated pace and that kept me inspired.Oooh, oooh, oooh.... inhale, ooh ooh ooh ooh,
inhale.I calculated my breaths as if I
was breathing through flows in my Vinyasa yoga practice.Although it is not a marathon by any
standard, the run/job/walk was something I did not prepare for.Except for my 2x yoga sessions and
intermittent 30-minute walk around the block a week, there were no special
trainings that went with the decision to do another Bridge Run this year.It was another whim decided amongst office
colleagues.Albeit the sore muscles, I
felt it was one of the most exhilarating runs I’ve ever done, as well as the
longest.

As I turn onto Macquarie Street,
the running crowd from the opposite lane approaching the finish line is always
an inspiring sight.As I slowly ran my
way following the course, I can’t help but get distracted and amazed at each of
runner sprinting their way towards the finish line.Their faces expressing varying degrees of
intent, focus and determination. Some huffing and puffing but still eyes set
forward to the finish line. Some sweating so much, red faced by eyes glued
straight ahead.

Although this is my 3rd
Bridge Run experience, this year has given me a strong sense of belief in
myself – where usually doubt sits comfortably.I felt energized after the run and had so much energy even until late
last night, when the muscles started tightening and soreness creeping slowly
into each muscle tissue. I went to my
yoga practice with slightly stiff legs today, but as always, I come out feeling
taller and calmer.

And after a day of strenuous activity,
there’s nothing that I would love more than to indulge in comfort food.So we’re revisiting an old post with new
photos! (It’s actually just an excuse to give life and new photos to posts from the archives!)
Black sticky rice with coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds!I tell you.This one cuddles you in all the right places.Sore muscles or not.

Ingredients:

3 cups black glutinous rice

3 pandan leaves, tied in a knot

1 tsp salt

375g palm sugar. grated

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

500ml coconut cream (use Kara brand in tetra pack)

Wash and rinse the rice until water is almost clear. The water will
still be a little bit dark but clean. (This took about 5-6
wash-and-rinse)

Place the washed rice in a 6L or 8L pressure cooker.

Add water to cover the rice, 6cm above the rice level.

Add salt and pandan leaves.

Close pressure cooker lid tightly and bring to boil on high heat, approximately 5 minutes.

* Use Kara brand for the coconut cream. I find that this brand is creamier than those that come in tins/cans.

* Be extra careful when using pressure cookers, as they can cause burns if opened while still hissing.

* Remember that pressure cookers once lid has been locked, should not
be opened at any time, unless the hissing has completely stopped and
the safety red button (differs in various brands and models) has completely sunk.

The real prize for running the 10K Bridge Run for me, was not really the medal. It's winning against all the self doubts inside and pushing through to the finish line regardless of the time. And this year, I actually beat my last year's record by 17 minutes. So that's a bonus. The half marathon next year doesn't seem too far after all.